Formula One teams are set to be able to test in January 2014 following a meeting of the Sporting Working Group (SWG).

With the new engine and technical regulations due to come in next season, the engine manufacturers are keen to run as early as possible. As a result, the teams agreed in an SWG meeting on Thursday that testing can take place in January; a proposal that will now need to be ratified by the FIA.

McLaren sporting director Sam Michael also confirmed that the teams had agreed to allow pre-season testing outside of Europe.

"Tests in January are allowed; we're not quite sure if we will end up with it," Michael said. "What I think we will end up with is a test in January and two in February, something like that.

"The advantage of being in Europe is you're very close to base when you first run your car. So you could do one test here and then go outside Europe … The only two changes to the sporting regs are that testing is allowed outside Europe in pre-season and testing is allowed in January, because those are two rules."

Michael told ESPN that the proposed move would not have a major impact on the teams' schedules, with launches and the first test likely to be 10 days earlier than in recent season.

A proposal for a return to in-season testing was rejected at the same SWG meeting.

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